Tubular gas burner with attached reflector



Jan. 30, 1951 w. c. HERBERT ET AL TUBULAR GAS BURNER WITH ATTACHED REFLECTOR Filed Nov. 15, 1946 Patented Jan. 30, 1951 TUBULAR GAS ff'Ifhis invention is an improvement in 'drier's, especially driers of the kind that employ direct heat toevaporate the moisture in the objects that are treated.

An important object of the invention is to provide a drier comprising an elongated burner with a reflector in position to throw the heat rays from the burner upon any article or series of articles in motion past the burner or held beneath it, and means for mounting the drier so that it can be easily shifted into and out of operative position.

' The invention is particularly adapted for use with printing presses of the small cylinder type which deliver the paper in the form of sheets of greater or less size; but it may also be employed with other apparatus in connection with which a drier is needed. The drier is placed near the paperand all moisture is expelled from the ink thereon. he nature and advantages of the invention 'are set out in the following specification but this disclosure is by way of explanation only; and various changes may be incorporated to the full extent of the'meaning oi the general terms in which the appended claims are expressed.

In the drawings:

a Figure '1 is a cross section of a drier according to this invention.

Figure 2 is an end view.

Figure 3 shows a section on the line 33 of Figure 1, and

Figures 4 and 5 present details of the invention. 1

The numeral l indicates a swinging armhaving at one end a couple of perforatedbearing lugs 2, so that the arm can be mounted ,ona stud or journal 3, supported by the framework of the machine for which the drier is intended. The arm extends ...upward from the journal 3, and supports in horizontal position a tube 4 having arow' of. burner openings 5.,along, each side of the bottom. Over the burner pipe is a long, laterally curved reflector G, which directs the heat downward. The arm can be moved horizontally on the journal 3.

In the top of the arm I is a hollow member I in the form of a casing, which encloses a mixing chamber, and is screwed tightly to a tubular element or section of externally threaded piping 8, fixed in the arm I. The short length of piping or tubing 8 extends through the arm, and on the other end is screwed fast a branched or T coupling 9, having its lateral branch 10 con- UNITED STATES PATEN TJZO FjFlCE I V 7 2,539,5 5,: BURNER" wen "Arm nian TQ A William Charles Herbert, Brooklyn, and w 4 -Wiiliam C. Herbert, Jr., Freeport, N. Y. b paches November15, 1946',' s;eri 1 1 0119. 3; I

3 Claims. (01. 126-85) line-with the casing and remote therefrom'hasmounted adjustably th'ereinthe stem of a needle valve I2. This valve has screw-threaded engagement with the said end of the T coupling, which is closed? and is bent over as shown at. H at'the-outer end to provide. a handle. The inner end-l4 istapered and cooperates with a conical seat in the section 8' to regulate the flow of gas into the casing i. This casing has air openings !5, so that 'as'thegas flows through the'mixing chamber into the burner tube, the air is drawn with it. A'pilot tube I6'also connected to the source of fuel at some convenientpoint; passes through the casing and terminates short of the end of the rows of burner holes 5, so that'the gas is lit as it is turned on, to enter the burner tube 4. Preferably the air openings i5 are adjustable in size-by means oi? a movable valve element l5 in'the member 1'. 1 l

The tube 4 is threaded into the casing I, and is made fast thereto by means of a binding screw IT. The reflector 6 is mounted on two semicircu-" lar plates or heads; one of which, I8,.is adjacent *the casing 1, and has a central flanged bearing opening IQ for the tube 4. The other head 2!) has a hollow boss 2| on its inner face to receive the outer end of the burner tube that is plugged shut at this point; and screws 22 make these heads fast on the tube 4. The heads l3 and '20 are connected by tie rods 23, with ends entering hollow'bosses'zton' the inner faces of the heads [8 and'i20. The ends have inside holes-and are engaged and held fast by screws:.2'5; The rods 23'h'ave-longitudinal'recesses 26 and the bosses 24 have registering notches into which the side edges of the reflector 6 are inserted. The curved ends of the reflector are overlappedby marginal flanges 21 of the heads I 8 and 20, and these ends engage both heads snugly. When the reflector isthus mounted between the heads and therods are fixed in place by screws 25,.the reflector 6 i's lreldsecurely in place-z The heater is especially adapted for printing presses of the small cylinder type press known by the name of Little Giant, and others of the same description, and when the press or other machine is running, the paper is drawn past underneath the drier and any moisture at once disappears. The burner pipe and reflector shield then extend across the web or sheet; and when the press is not running, the flames are extinguished and the drier can be swung to one side, pivoting around the journal or stud 3.

The part of the press on which the drier unit nected to a gas supply conduit H. The end in 5 is mounted is shown at 28, The journal 3 screwed through this part and is held fast by a nut 29 engaging a shoulder 3 on the stud above the part 28, and a second nut 3| below. The lower lug 2 of the arm I has a recess 32 larger than the nut 29 and receiving the latter, leaving the arm I free to be moved as required.

The gas conduit I I is preferably in the form of a flexible tube which extends from the coupling 9 to a valve casing 33 supported on a bracket 34 which is attached in any suitable way to a projection 35 on the framework 28. This casing contains a valve which is actuated by a solenoid and contains passages to control communication between a gas supply pipe 36 and the outlet to which the gas tube II is attached. The solenoid coil and the valve inside the casing 33 are not shown, but the wire conductors which supply current to the solenoid coil are indicated at 31. The casing has an outlet fitting 38 containing a regulating screw 39 and connected by a piece or section of tubing 40 to the tubing 16 to carry gas to the pilot flame adjacent the burner openings in the tube 4. When the solenoid is energized by current flowing into it through the conductors 37 the valve is opened so that gas can flow from the intake conduit 36 to the tubing I I, but the outlet in the fitting 38 is always open for gas to flow by way of the section of tubing 40 to the pilot flame tubing IS. The latter tubing I6 is disposed inside of the tubing II up to a point near the coupling 9 where it emerges and passes through the casing I into the tube 4 and out at the point shown in Figure 1. The Wires 3'! are preferably part of the circuit of the electrical apparatus which operates the printing press. As soon as the current is turned on to set the press in motion, the valve in the casing 33 is open so the gas can flow through the conduit II to the casing l of tube 4. The gas issuing from the end of the tube I6 adjacent the tube 4 is then lighted immediately to make the burner ready for operation. The burner can then be swung into position over the sheets to be treated and as long as the press operates, the valve in the casing 33 is held open. When the current is cut off from the machine operating the press the solenoid in the casing 33 is deenergized, the valve then closes and the flow of gas to the tubing II is stopped; but the pilot flame at the end of the tubing continues burning. The pipe 40 could be connected directly between the conduits II and 35 with the regulator screw mounted therein.

The opening in the fitting 38 controlled by the screw 39 communicates with the space inside the casing 33 which is not closed by the valve between the supply pipe 35 and the outlet of the casing 33 to which the tubing II is attached. Hence the pilot tubing always supplies gas through the tubing to the pilot flame in the tube 4. The arrangement is similar to the design of the conventional gas range in which the tube at the end of which the pilot flame burns is a1= ways in communication with the main gas pipe and this tube is not controlled by the shut ofi valve or valves which admit gas to the principal burners. Thus the pilot flame burns continu-" ously even when the range is not in use.

Having described our invention, what we claini to be new is:

1. A combined heater and drier comprising a bent arm having means at one end to engage a support, a short length of tubing supported by the opposite end, a coupling being connected to a fuel supply conduit and carrying a valve in line with said tubing, a member enclosing a mixing chamber attached to the other end of said tubing, a gas burner tube connected with said member, a head supported by said burner tube adjacent said member, another head engaging the other end of the burner tube, connector rods joining the said heads, and means for holding said rods in position, the rods having grooves therein, and a reflector arched over the tube and having its longitudinal edges received in said grooves, the heads having peripheral flanges overlapping the ends of said reflector.

2. A combined burner and drier comprising an arm having bearing means, a mixing member on said arm, a fuel supply conduit and a valve operatively associated with said member, a burner tube attached to said member, heads on said tube, a reflector between said heads and arched over the tube and tie rods uniting said heads, the latter having peripheral flanges overlapping the ends of the reflector, and the rods having recesses for the side edges of said reflector.

3. A combined heater and drier comprising an arm having bearings for mounting it upon a journal, heater tube and reflector shield horizontally supported at the other end of said arm, a valve casing supported adjacent the journal of said arm, a. fuel intake conduit connected to said casing, a fuel conduit leading from said casing to said heater tube, said casing having a pilot tube outlet, tubing leading from said outlet into said conduit between the casing and the heater tube, said pilot tubing extending into the heater and terminating adjacent the heater tube, and means at said outlet for controlling the flow of fuel through the pilot tubing.

WILLIAM CHARLES HERBERT. WILLIAM C. HERBERT, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,749,456 Wilkinson Mar. 4, 1930 1,805,781 Moreton May 19, 1931 2,153,325 Cole Apr. 4, 1939 

